A young Pachuca team was supposed to be building towards its long-term future, but is instead just one win away from Concacaf Champions Cup glory.
Los Tuzos put on a counter-attacking display to thwart Club América in the Champions Cup semifinals, winning Tuesday’s intense second leg 2-1 to claim a 3-2 aggregate win.
Emilio Rodríguez and Nelson Deossa struck in the first half, and though Henry Martín pulled one back quickly, América never found a consistent avenue through manager Guillermo Almada’s walls of blue shirts.
The omens were there from the start. América center back Sebastián Cáceres would last just over two minutes before, under no contact, tumbling to the pitch clutching his knee.
Amid the slipping and sliding early on, Pachuca would claim the lead in strange fashion.
Nearly 30 yards from goal, Salomón Rondón hammered a shot towards Luis Malagón’s goal, only for the effort to end up snuffed out almost as soon as the Venezuelan struck it.
However, a strange bit of backspin saw the rebound fall right into Rodríguez’s path, and the 21-year-old pounced on the gift. Estadio Hidalgo was roaring, and Pachuca had a 12th minute lead.
¡Gran definición de Emilio Rodríguez para abrir el marcador para Pachuca! ⚽ pic.twitter.com/Wlpwvk2Ic3
— Concacaf Champions Cup (@TheChampions) May 1, 2024
If América wasn’t stunned by that slice of bad luck, the giants from Mexico City certainly were when the scoreline got worse within two minutes.
Rondón was involved again, playing a pivotal pass from inside the Pachuca half to send Rodríguez in behind. The winger found Érick Sánchez only for Malagón to provide a strong stop, but las Águilas could do nothing as Deossa powered the rebound through traffic and in.
¡Los Tuzos ponen 3-1 el marcador global en el Estadio Hidalgo! 💥 pic.twitter.com/OSqi7Qc6hA
— Concacaf Champions Cup (@TheChampions) May 1, 2024
América may have been on the ropes, but by the 22nd minute the momentum had swung back towards pressure on Pachuca. A simple diagonal picked out Alex Zendejas, and the U.S. men’s national team winger found Henry Martín somehow completely unmarked for a point-blank header.
Just like that, América was one goal away from advancing on away goals.
¡Cabezazo de Henry Martín para acortar distancias! 🦅 pic.twitter.com/eyqvNmrny4
— Concacaf Champions Cup (@TheChampions) May 1, 2024
That goal nearly came before halftime. Amid waves of Águilas attacks, Martín scooped a golden opportunity in the 39th minute over the bar, while attacker Julián Quiñones saw his goal called back for offside.
With the visitors increasingly taking big risks, Pachuca saw multiple chances to turn the screw, creating a wide range of chances on the break only to be denied time and again by Malagón.
Finally, with time winding down, Pachuca got the last little bit of a boost needed to claim the win. It wouldn’t come via a decisive goal, but rather from referee Drew Fischer’s pocket.
Deossa’s storming run up the middle broke through two tackles, and appeared set to become a breakaway after the Pachuca playmaker somehow kept his feet amid a collision with Igor Lichnovsky and Israel Reyes (by now the fourth América player to put in time at center back on the night).
With a Pachuca goal effectively game over for las Águilas, Reyes tripped Deossa and hoped for the best. Once he got to his feet, Fischer sent the veteran off, leaving América with 10 men for second-half stoppage time.
Even with Malagón coming forward for a last-gasp corner, Pachuca saw the result out without further drama, stunning the Liga MX leaders to claim a place in June’s Champions Cup final.
